Makin an EBay trike cooler! PAINT! 4/17

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Re: Makin an EBay trike cooler! (looking, not an ice holder)

OUTLAW said:
ya hoo, burito trike, am luvin this one

Outlaw :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Yeah, I was thinkin it might qualify as a burrito. :mrgreen:
 
Re: Makin an EBay trike cooler! (looking, not an ice holder)

normally i'm not a super big fan of trikes, but i must say that is one amazing creation you have there.

excellent welding and plating, you've got some real skills :D
 
Re: Makin an EBay trike cooler! (looking, not an ice holder)

Awesome job! I think the bars right side up flow with the frame very nicely. Any bike shop should be able to true your wheels but I think I would call first just to verify with them. I need to start saving money for a welder!
 
Re: Makin an EBay trike cooler! (looking, not an ice holder)

Thanks for all the comments guys! I've only been welding for a couple years, so I guess all the practice is paying off. :)

Well, I didn't really get much accomplished tonight. The little details tend to hold me up a little bit, such as mounting the chain.
Luckily, I won an auction on ebay a couple weeks ago when I was planning this build, 10 cheap-o rear derailleurs for under $20. I ended up chopping up one of them to mount routing pulleys for the chain.

First, I cut off just enough of one of the threaded sides of the cage to weld it to a piece of tube I had bent practicing with my pipe bender. Then it was just a matter of lining it up and welding it into place:

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Then, I for some reason didn't take any pictures of the lower pulley mount, I guess because I wasn't even sure it was going to work until it did. The derailleurs I got bolt up to the bike using the axle nut, so there is a small plate there that hinges by a spring just like the pulley cages do. I cut that much off of the whole assembly, and then again cut just enough of the threaded side of the cage to weld it to the hinged plate, basically making my own chain tensioner. And then just welded that to the frame:

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And here's the full view:
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After all of that, I stood around trying to figure out how to make a handbrake. I have all the necessary hardware, it's just a matter of how I want the actual handle to look, I'm having a huge brainfart when it comes to the look of it.
 
Re: Makin an EBay trike cooler! (looking, not an ice holder)

man i am a big fan of trikes and burritos an yes this is a burrito true to form. this ride just blows me away. you are right on. thats what iam talkin about, yeah heck yeah.

Outlaw :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
 
Re: Makin an EBay trike cooler! (looking, not an ice holder)

it looks like the pedals are gonna hit the ground when she starts pedaling. Also, i think a big fat a** seat would be more comfortable. what does your girlfriend think?
 
Re: Makin an EBay trike cooler! (looking, not an ice holder)

I had to lock out the springer to keep the pedals from scraping. I moved the rubber bushing to inside the spring though, so it still has a little give to it. She's getting the better seat off of my straightbar and I'm going to be trying one of the newer Schwinn seats without the nose on it instead.
 
Re: Makin an EBay trike cooler! (looking, not an ice holder)

looks sick! much better than stock

When my friend had his bike shop someone brought one of those in for him to assemble. WOW is all I can say. A good portion of the assembly was done with a hammer if I recall because nothing met up right. Just cheap steel. Probably why you had all the flexing & breaking problems.

Just a bit of constructive criticism on the chain route. You're putting a lot of stress on the top jockey wheel if you get cranking on the pedals. A jack shaft that's lower than the axle might help.
 
Re: Makin an EBay trike cooler! (looking, not an ice holder)

That's probably true, I may just have to fully weld the pulley plate to the bent tube to keep it from coming apart. Maybe do something to the opposite side of the pulley so it's attatched and can't bend up. Right now the whole bike is at a shop getting the wheels trued as best as they can and the tires for the rear should be here tomorrow. If the weather cooperates this weekend I should be able to take it for a spin and see how things hold up. With how the riding position is, I don't see much hard cranking on the pedals, other than the initial couple revolutions to get her rolling. But thank you, I am always open to positive criticism.
 
Re: Makin an EBay trike cooler! (looking, not an ice holder)

Well, I got some more done this weekend. Got the frame done, so I'll be stripping her down to bare metal as much as possible tomorrow and should start painting this week. The girlfriend and I decided on a black/silver/red color combo, now I just have to figure out how to lay that on the frame. :(

Got the 24x3 Fatti-O tires in on Friday:
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And today I fabbed up the brake handle and mounted it to the frame:
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So she's sittin pretty mean now:
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Rode her around the neighborhood this afternoon, nice and smooth at a slow cruising speed. She get's a bit twitchy at higher speeds and makes it a little scary reachin down for the brake handle, and it takes some gettin used to wanting to lean into the turns when the frame flexes the other direction. :lol:
 
Re: Makin an EBay trike cooler! (looking, not an ice holder)

thats freaking awesome man ..
hows the seat? been looking at thoughs for my trike as well...
you couldnt pick a better set of tires for it either ...
nice great choices looking forward to seeing the finished product..later
 
Re: Makin an EBay trike cooler! (looking, not an ice holder)

I thought the seat felt pretty good on the short test ride I took. I originally bought it for my straightbar, but didn't like the look of it compared to the chrome springs of the macargi seat I have on it.
 
Re: Makin an EBay trike cooler! (looking, not an ice holder)

WOW, i gotta give ya props to those welding skills. I think you found your talent. May i suggest when you have the trike apart and begin the prepping for paint, fab some sort of bracket to hold a "ice cooler" and maybe paint it "VW Beetle Baby Blue" (and highlight it with your girlfriends fav color) since alot of people thought your original title in the subject heading had us all thinking along those lines anyway. BTW, the Beetle does have some really different colors.
Just one thing i wish i had that you have. Time. I could always work on my skills. Just my 2 cents. Love the pics too. (Hope yur saving them to a disc)
 
Re: Makin an EBay trike cooler! (looking, not an ice holder)

I'm in the process of letting the primer dry to lay down the silver base coat for the red/silver/black scheme, sorry. :mrgreen: My original idea was a trunk of some sort, but last night I brainstormed a flatbed made of aluminum bars with a small railing around the front and sides, maybe with a trap door in it for a cooler, I don't know, there might not be enough room for that. Still have to run it by the GF anyway. :wink:
 
Re: Makin an EBay trike cooler! PAINT 4/17!

Well, after three nights of taping and untaping and spraying and rattling cans, she finally got some paint!

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I'll have some finished shots up after I put her all back together tomorrow night. :mrgreen:
 

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